Ernesto Valverde Rumoured to Make Athletic Club Exit Amid Barcelona Link

Athletic Bilbao manager Ernesto Valverde is reportedly the new favourite to take over at Barcelona this summer after it was suggested he has told his current club he is to depart. 

According to Mundo Deportivo (h/t Ed Malyon of The Independent), Valverde has informed the Basque side he will be stepping down. In the report it’s noted that the Bilbao boss and current Barcelona assistant Juan Carlos Unzue are the two men in the running to replace Luis Enrique.

Enrique is set to walk away from the Camp Nou when his contract expires at the end of the campaign having enjoyed three successful years. The coach steered Barcelona to La Liga-Copa del Rey doubles in his first two campaigns in charge, as well as the UEFA Champions League in his debut term. 

The Blaugrana are still on the hunt for three trophies this season, although they trail Real Madrid in La Liga and will need to overturn a three-goal deficit against Juventus if they’re to progress in the Champions League. Alaves are the only team standing between them and another Copa del Rey.

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They’ll be big shoes to fill, and Valverde is a man that has been linked with taking over since it was announced Enrique would be departing. Per David Cartlidge of beIN Sports, he’s done a fine job at the San Mames:

The 53-year-old has been in charge of the Basque giants since 2013 and has kept Athletic among the top sides in La Liga. In his debut season they qualified for the UEFA Champions League, while in 2014-15 they made it to the final of the Copa del Rey, where Athletic were bested by Barcelona.

In 2015 he brought some silverware to the San Mames, as they emphatically beat the Blaugrana 5-1 on aggregate in the Spanish Super Cup.

Valverde has links with Barcelona, too. As a player he spent two seasons at the Camp Nou, helping the team to win the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and the Copa del Rey.

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Stylistically, he feels like the right type of fit, as under his guidance, Athletic have played an enterprising, possession-based style of football. After Enrique shifted the strategy to a more direct way of attacking, many traditional Blaugrana supporters would prefer to see a return to the club’s roots.

Still, he’s not one of the biggest names in the coaching world. Sports journalist Rafael Hernandez feels as though Barcelona should look for a bigger name:

It’s a massive job for whoever takes it. Granted, in Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar, any new manager will have arguably the finest three forwards in the world on their books. But the midfield and defence need major surgery, as illustrated by some recent heavy defeats to Juve and Paris Saint-Germain.

For Valverde, dealing with such immense pressures will be a step up, with the expectation at Barcelona not only to win, but win in style. Even with the world-class talent available, that’s no mean feat in La Liga and the Champions League.

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